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Nova Scotia Archives

30 November 2016

May You Be as Happy as Kittens

Christmas kittens, seashells, ice skating frogs? The holiday cards of the past are a little bit different from what you might find in stores today. From our scrapbooks and photograph collections, we’ve hand selected twenty-four different images to help you spread some holiday cheer.

Our selection of colourful Victorian Whimsy cards were found in various scrapbooks that we have collected from private donors over the years. These cards document an evolution in holiday vocabulary as well as aesthetic - since when have frogs been a Christmas card staple? In keeping with Victorian tradition, some card wish for a “Happy Christmas” instead of a “Merry Christmas”. There’s also a handful of Happy New Year or Easter cards, events which are rarely celebrated with cards today. Along with the cards, the scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings, poetry and drawings. These cards are small works of art, and were often saved for their artistic value as well as their sentimental value.

If our Victorian Whimsy selection is a touch too whimsical for you, we also have black-and-white snowy Nova Scotia scenes. These photos have been chosen from our collection of thousands to showcase Nova Scotia at its most festive, or with its most dramatic snowbanks. These images include horse-drawn-sleigh rides, hockey games on frozen lakes, pristine city street views and, a favourite of mine, the ‘ice boats’ in Guysborough Harbour.

Both sets can be viewed here. If you’ve chosen which unique set of cards suits your needs, purchase and pickup can be done at the Nova Scotia Archives building, or through the mail.